Time for some homemade Christmas prezzies anyone? How about this week’s craft project? Small, treasury bowls perfect for keeping small treasures in and great giveaways.

They are both easy to make and cost hardly anything material wise. It’s a great family craft projects with young one as well. My 4-year-old and me have had lots of fun making these bowls together. All you need is a balloon, glue, old newspapers and a bit of paint.

How to make the bowls:

The core of the bowl is made with papier mâché.

1. Blow up the balloon, as large as you would like the bowl to be. The diameter of the balloon will decide the diameter of the bowl.
2. Tare the newspaper in small pieces. Don’t make them to big; it might make it hard to create a more even result. Larger paper pieces tend to crinkle when raped around the round shape of the balloon.
3. Mix the glue with a bit of water, so it’s not to thick consistency wise. Dip the small pieces of newspaper in glue.
4. Add a layer of glue over the newspaper piece as well, after you have stuck it to the balloon, so it is flatten out properly. I normally use a brush, dipped in the diluted glue, to paint over the pieces of newspaper when applied to the balloon, to make sure that it lays evenly onto the surface of the balloon, and that all corner of the newspaper is properly attached to the balloon.
5. Continuously lay the next piece of newspaper overlapping the neighboring already glued pieces. This helps with the stability of the construction.
6. Work around the top of the balloon (the side that hasn’t got the end where one blows air into) and then up roughly halfway of the height of the balloon (that’s what I did with these ones). If you want a deeper bowl continue apply the newspapers a bit higher. Just remember that the balloon will start angling inwards after the middle, which results in also the shape of the bowl doing so. If you want a shallower bowl stop before reaching halfway.
7. Its good to cover the surface with at least two to three layers of newspaper, so the final shape of the bowl becomes sturdy enough. The more layers, the better stability.
8. Hang up to dry. You will now when it’s dry when it’s not sticky anymore and the papier mâché is also much lighter when all the glue has dried.
9. Pop the balloon and remove it. You might have to peel of parts of the balloon by hand.
10. Cut the edges around the bowl, so it gets an even shape.
11. Paint in any of your favourite colours.
12. When the paint has dried, you just have to find that special thing to keep in your bowl or maybe rap it up for a loved one for Christmas. J

Good Luck and Enjoy!

More to come: Look out for next weeks ‘Personal Craft Projects’ post with a free knitting pattern for some pine-cone glitter for the Christmas tree 🙂